Mixing machine



5 Sheets-Sheet l ELMER ZAHN gvwwwfom ATTORNEY E ZAHN MIXING MACHINE May12, 1953 Flled May 19, 1948 May 12, 1953 E. ZAHN 2,638,252

' MIXING MACHINE Filed May 19, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 EL MER ZA HNINVENTOR.

ATTORNEY E. ZAHN MIXING MACHINE May 12, 1953 5 Sheets-Sh'eet 5 Filed May19, 1948 FIG. 7

ELMER ZAHN INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MIXINGMACHINE Elmer zahn, Falfurrias, Tex. v Application.May 19, 1948, SerialNo. 27,943

3 Claims. (01. 222-439) This invention relates to a mixing machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed specially designed fer mixing drilling fluid commonly knownasdrilling mud and for properly proportioning the ingredients of thedrilling mud so "that it will have the proper weight and viscosity.

It is well known to those familiar with the art of drilling wells,particularly deep wells, by the rotary process that a drilling fluid,commonly known as drilling mud, must be circulated down through, andback up around, the drill stem. This drilling fluid must have the properweight to maintain the walls of the well bore as well as the properviscosity and it is also necessary that.

the weight material in the fluid remain in sus pension.

This drilling fluid is maintained in a mud :pit adjacent the well fromwhich it is taken by a pump and forced down into the well through thedrill stem and returned to the mud pit so that the earth formation willbe carried, by the drilling fluid, from the drill to the pit and, in,order to efliciently function, the drilling fluid in the pit must bemaintained properly proportioned.

This drilling fluid, or drilling mud, includes a. weight material togive the fluid the proper weight to maintain. the walls of the well boreand also includes a viscous substance" commonly known as gel and thesetwo: elements must be properly proportioned and uniformly distributedthroughout the-drilling fluid so as to give it the proper consistency.

The machine herein described has been particularly designed for mixingthese elements of the drilling mud before they are mixed with thedrilling fluid in the slush pit.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingspecification which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, partly brokenaway.

Figure. 2 is a fragmentary, plan view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,with the weight breaker removed.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the. line 3-3. of Figures 1and 2,

Figure 4.- is an enlarged, fragmentary, crosssectional view.

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional view.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, longitudinal; sectional view of a deliverypipe for delivering the drilling fluid to the slush pit.

Figure 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view of one endof the machine, and

Figure 8 is an enlarged, longitudinal, sectional View taken on the line8-8 of Figure l.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals ofreference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeralsl, l designate the side members of the base structure on which themachine is supported and these side members may be-connected by suitablecross beams 2 which also supports the flooring 3.

Upstanding from the side members, on each side, are the vertical sidesupports, such as' 4, which are spaced apart longitudinally, as shown inFigure 1.

Mounted on the, upper ends of these side supports there is a rectangularframe 5.

The construction .hereinabove described is preferably formed of metalwelded together although it may be of any other selected construction.

Within the framework above described and extending from end to endthereof there is a hopper 5 for receiving the weighting material and thejell.

As will be noted from an inspection of Figures I and 5 the hopper isdivided by a transverse partition 1 thus forming two compartments one ofwhich is designated by the numeral 8 and is provided to receive the geland the other of which is indicated by the numeral 9 and is provided toreceive the weighting material.

The bottom of the hopper is formed into a semicircular trough l0 whichextends from end to end of the hopper, as best shown in Figure 2, and inthis trough there are two conveyors II and I2, one beneath each of thecompartments 8 and 9, as in" dicated in Figure 5. These conveyors are ofthe screw type and include the respective shafts l3 and M. The outerends of these shafts are mounted to rotate in a common bearing l'5 whichis secured to the lower margin of the partition I.

The direction of rotation of the conveyors II and I2 is such that thegel and weight material will be forced inwardly and discharged through acommon discharge nozzle 16 which is secured to and which depends fromthe trough Hi.

Fixed to the outer ends of the shafts i3 and [4 there are the respectivesprocket wheels ii and I8 and aligned with the sprocket wheels I! and H!are the driving sprocket wheels ['9, 20 which are fixed on shafts 2| and22 which are'mounted to rotate in suitable bearings supported on theflooring 3 The sprocket wheel fl is driven from the. sprocket wheel I9by means of the sprocket chain 23 which operates thereover and thesprocket Wheel I8 is driven from the sprocket wheel 20 by means. of asprocket chain 24 which operates thereover;

The shafts 2| and 22 are equipped with suitable clutches, as 25 and 26of conventional construction and which may be engaged and disengaged inany selected manner and associated with these shafts 2| and 22 there arethe conventional type of transmission mechanism 21, 21, respectively,whereby the speed of the shafts may be controlled.

These transmission mechanisms may be driven from a common intermediateshaft 28 which has a sprocket wheel 29 fixed thereon and this sprocketwheel is aligned with a corresponding sprocket wheel 30 which is fixedon the driving shaft 3| of any selected type of motor 32 which may bemounted on the floor 3.

With the clutches 25, 26 both engaged both conveyors II and I2 may besimultaneously operated and their speed controlled in the conventionalmanner by the transmissions.

The hopper is provided with a suitable cover 33 which has a door orshutter 34 which may be opened to fill the compartments 8 and 9.

On opposite sides of the partition I and diverging downwardly therefromare the deflectors la, 1a which extend across the hopper 6, to preventcongestion of the material against said partition and above theconveyors and extending from said respective deflectors to the outerends of compartments 8 and 9 there are the angle irons 35, 35a withtheir apexes upwardly. These angle irons are supported on spacedtransverse plates 36-which are spaced apart longitudinally, as shown inFigure 5, and whose ends are anchored to the opposing sides of saidhopper, as more clearly shown in Figure 4. The margins of the angleirons 35, 3521 are spaced from the downwardly converging walls of thehopper so as to allow the material to feed down to the conveyors whenthe machine is in operation; .but when the machine is not operatingangle irons 35, 35a will act as a weight breaker so as to guard andprotect the conveyors.

The transverse plates 36 serve to distribute the material evenly in thecompartments in the con veyors, whereby the material is delivered in aregular and uniform manner to the discharge nozzle IS.

The discharge nozzle [6 is provided with a slidable closure plate 31which may be opened and closed by means of a shift rod 38 which isconnected thereto.

The numeral 39 designates a conveyor pipe through which the liquid fromthe well may be delivered to the slush pit and this conveyor pipe isequipped with a hopper 40 spaced the required distance beneath, andaligned with thenozzle I6 and as required the valve 31 may be opened toallow the discharge of the material into the pipe 39 so as to deliverthe mixture from the compart-v ments 8, 9 into the drilling mud in theslush pit.

This pipe 39 may be equipped, if desired, with a nozzle 4| connected toa source of water, air or. steam pressure for facilitating suchdelivery.

The mixing machine as above described may be satisfactorily operated tomix the weighting material and the gel material in the desiredproportions and for delivering the mixture into the slush pit so as tomaintain a proper consistency in the drilling fluid that is pumped fromthe slush pit down into the well and returned to the slush pit.

However, in the present illustration there is shown an additional hopperdesignated generally by the numeral 42. This hopper 42 is preferablylocated alongside the front of the machine adjacent the discharge nozzle[6. Its bottom is formed into a semi-circular trough 43 andits frontwall is provided with an inlet opening which may be closed by theshutter 44. In the trough 43 there is located a screw conveyor 45 whichis fixed on the shaft 46 mounted in suitable bearings in the ends of thehopper 42. This trough has an outlet pipe 41 which enters the nozzle 56above the valve 31 and through which additional, selected, material maybe added to the drilling mud in order to change its consistency.

One end of the shaft 46 has a sprocket wheel 53 fixed thereon and inalignment with a corresponding sprocket Wheel 49 on the shaft 23 and asprocket wheel 50 operates over these aligned sprocket wheels andtransmits rotation from the shaft 23 to the shaft 46 and to the conveyor45.

The shaft 46 may be provided, if desired, with a clutch 5| of anyconventional construction which may be disengaged to stop the operationof the conveyor 45.

The hopper or compartment 42 is provided to contain any selected type ofmaterial which it may be found desirable to add to the drilling fluid.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broadprinciple of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A mixing machine comprising, a hopper, a partition dividing thehopper into compartments, the compartments having a common dischargeoutlet at the bottom below said partitions, independently operableconveyors at the bottom of the compartments adapted to discharge thecontents thereoi through said outlet, transverse plates spaced apartlongitudinall along the hopper above theconveyors and whose ends areanchored to opposing sides of the hopper, deflectorplates divergingdownwardly from opposite sides of the partition and extending across thehopper above said conveyors, a supplemental hopper having a dischargepassageway into said outlet, a conveyor in the supplemental hopperadapted to discharge the contents thereof through said passageway, andmeans for driving said conveyors from a common source.

2. A mixing machine comprising, a hopper, a partition extendingtransversely of the hopper and dividing the hopper into compartmentswhich are in longitudinal alignment, a semi-circular trough at thebottom of the hopper which extends from end to end of the hopper, asp-iralled conveyer in each of the compartments in said veyor in each ofthe compartments in said trough,

trough, a common discharge nozzle leading from the trough through whichthe material in the compartments is discharged by said conveyors, meansfor rotating the conveyors independently in directions to convey thematerial in the compartments to said nozzle, a valve controlling saidnozzle, transverse plates spaced apart longitudinally along the hopperand whose ends are anchored to opposing sides of the hopper, angle ironsin the respective compartments supported by said partition extendingtransversely of the hopper and dividing the hopper into compartmentswhich are in longitudinal alignment, a semi-circular trough at thebottom of the hopper which extends from end to end of the hopper, aspiralled consaid conveyors being oppositely threaded means for rotatingthe conveyors in the'same' direction to convey the material in thecompartments 5 6 zle leading from the trough below said partitionReferences Cited in the file of this patent and through which thematerial in the compart- UNITED STATES PATENTS ments is discharged bysaid conveyors, a valve controlling said. nozzle, transverse platesspaced Number Name a apart longitudinally along the hopper above the 54231346 Mueller May 97 trough and whose ends are anchored to opposing742,591 Clark 2 1 sides of the hopper, and deflector plates diverging772,941 Kefauver 00V 25, 904 downwardly from opposite sides of saidpartition 999397 calfter 1911 and extending transversely across thehopper li gl ry above said trough. m

FOREIGN PATENTS ELMER ZAHN' Number Country Date 219,950 Germany Mar. 12,1910

